The Theatrics of Life: To Be or Not to Be?
Essinova Artful Life Saturday Playshops Summer 2020 Dispatch 6 (Session 7 in review)
By Meena Selvanathan
Having successfully turned professional adults into children in the past few sessions for us to reconnect with our authentic and creative selves, Essinova’s summer playshop this weekend threw us back into “real life” to take on mature challenges of grownups, with body language and facial expressions! We played with dramatics and the hero’s journey in ‘The Theatrics of Life: To Be or Not to Be?’. Burcu Erturk Kilic led a session around theatre and Hamlet, designed to make sense of ourselves, the relationships and conflicts in our lives amidst the pandemic.
Burcu set the scene by sharing the mystical inspiration of Istanbul, Turkey, the city she calls home. At the confluence of two continents, its rich layers of history, lived experiences, diverse people, beautiful stories and equally beautiful scenery have influenced her 20-year creative journey as a theatre performer, arts-based researcher and instructor. She has found that arts-based learning makes us stronger, infuses colour into our daily lives and most importantly, enables us to find alternative perspectives. Alternatives come in especially handy as we navigate the new normal: an existing VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) world — excuse the overused corporate lingo — now with an added layer of the COVID-19 crisis on top. We can all agree at times it is tiring, paradoxical and chaotic.
This is where theatre comes in. Drama is a mirror of life, and as a tool can unveil much about humankind and our internal and external conflicts. To ease us into the world of theatre, Burcu started with a breathing exercise then delved into the world of non-verbal cues and their significant role onstage and in real life. We explored facial expressions, eye contact, physical appearance, spatial behavior and more as abundantly exemplified by the sitcom “Friends.”
Armed with a few tools and examples, we entered the world of Hamlet and turned to the different types of conflicts we find in drama and in real life. Burcu explained that not all conflicts are created equally. Unlike conflicts with others, our environment, and the unknown, we cannot escape conflicts within ourselves. She focused on the inner battles we cannot run from: the opposing voices of pessimist and optimist dueling inside our heads at home during the pandemic. We role played pessimist vs. optimist in front of our virtual Zoom backdrops in breakout sessions.
We then moved out of our comfort zones and accepted the challenge of drafting our own soliloquies, modeled after Hamlet’s own ‘To be, or not to be?’. In just a few minutes, our group composed their inner conflicts through monologue. Here are a few excerpts that left us with chills:
“Faith is tested in the moments where we see no end to our own troubles. Why try, when it is all hopeless? But, (and that is the Holy but) we have survived so far…” — M. Thwaites
“Not having the guts to be a martyr nor having the conscience to ignore the corruption…where do we go from here?” — F. Matzdorf
“Whether to…go out with people, and risk getting infected…[or] to stay home, never go out and become more and more isolated” — M. Tsiorvas
“… But what does one give up? The thrill of discovery and achievement; the joy of sharing and making a difference; the satisfaction of overcoming obstacles and attaining a new and higher level; personal growth; the shining delight in the creation of beauty and having new ideas and perspectives; the ecstasy of love..” — D. Soltz
Eloquent soliloquies completed, Burcu shared another tool to help us make sense of the pandemic: Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and its twelve stages. We dissected Hamlet’s journey through the play, his call to adventure upon his father’s death, feigning madness and entering his own special world of a play within a play, gaining a better understanding of life and death, and more.
Burcu’s final challenge was to craft our own COVID-19 journeys using Campbell’s framework, paying special attention to the moment we crossed the threshold, the moment we understood the seriousness of the pandemic. We shared our journeys, starting in the ordinary worlds sans masks, then listening to mentors — public health experts — and experiencing the onslaught of lockdown and stay-at-home orders around the world. Along the way, we discovered allies and enemies and faced ordeals of balancing working from home and childcare amidst unrelenting uncertainty.
As a bright spot, we seized many new treasures: making new virtual connections, embracing technology, making more time for creativity and enjoying life’s simple pleasures. On the road back to the new normal, we are social distancing, supporting small businesses and more. Or maybe we have yet to face the true ordeal and emerge into a new world.
Regardless of where each of us were, reflecting on the past few months and using a framework to make sense of the pandemic was enlightening. As Burcu aptly concluded, this is the first time we are synchronized, in a way like no other due to the pandemic — a dragon we all face. In this shared experience, we are all living in and writing the same play together, scene by scene.
Thank you to Burcu for a thought-provoking and fun session. All of us left with a new approach to the pandemic, and some wonderful new insights into our lives!
Coming up next: Sessions #8, the Yin and Yang of dance and season finale happy (half) hour. Join us!
